Thursday, April 18, 2013

Welcome...let's begin...

Those of us who are parenting children with extreme behavioural challenges often overlook ourselves. We are great at taking care of our children and our families, but we aren't so great at remembering that we need help and support to manage the often overwhelming stress that is a part of our reality.

For me, I've fooled myself into thinking I was managing my stress for years. I'm not quite sure how I did that - all I had to do was look in the mirror to see the continuous weight gain to know that I wasn't managing my stress in some pretty significant ways. Ah well, denial is such a lovely place to live - but truly, the cost has been too much! Now, I'm obese and unhealthy - and it's time to change that.

It's always hard to know what's going to kick start the energy to get serious about linking stress and weight. For me, it's partially the joy of having my estranged son return to our lives ( let me tell you - that was a spiritual, emotional, and physical energy boost!). It's also just finally getting to a point of being tired of carrying this fat around with me everywhere I go - truly - it just won't leave me. And, it's accepting that as someone who helps others manage stress - maybe I need to be a better role model - there is, after all, some real responsibility to my clients and my friends and my readers and maybe to the universe - to walk my talk. I do so in all other aspects of my life - so best to get on with it here.

I know there are many other hefty Hazardous Parents out there! I hope you will join me on this journey. I won't be dealing with this project by detailing the pounds gained or kept or lost - I'll be doing it by talking about the exercise and healthy eating I'm (hopefully) doing. I"ve included Daniel Siegel's Healthy Mind Platter here for you to see my goals. I don't know how to include all of this in each day - in fact, I know I can't - but I can try to get most of it on most days.

I'm going to be adding Youtubes to document my journey and I'll include some of it in my new BlogTalk Radio show that is starting soon. Undertaking this venture in such a public venue is a bit of an emotional risk - but so are most aspects of Hazardous Parenting - so - on I go.

I hope you will join me in this. If you have your own story to add - please do - I'm happy to post the struggles and successes of others. I will also welcome your comments and suggestions.

So friends, here we go - and let's all remember - we're entitled to a better day!